John r



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. R. PBTTIT. r.TOYBOWLING ALLEY.

No. 458,066. Patenteu'g. 18 1891.

TTHNEYS (No Model.) y 2 sheensfsheet 2,

J. R. PETTIT. 'ro-Y- BOWLING ALLEY.

Patented Aug. 18., 1891 MIEL/damn.- v @L ATTORNEYS UNITED .STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOHN R. PETTIT, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

TOY BOWLING-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,066, dated August18, 1891.

Serial No. 376,867. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. PETTIT, of New York city, in the county andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Toy Bowling-Alley, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The objects of this invention are to provide a simple inexpensiveminiature bowlingalley which will be adapted to mechanically project theball toward the pins when the latter are in position on the alley, andthat will also contain means for arresting the ball if it is dispatchedtoward the projecting mechanism before the pins are set up or theprojector is adj usted to drive the ball.

To these ends my invention consists inthe construction and combinationof parts which are hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be made to the accompanying drawings, forming a portionof this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the iigures.

Figure l is a plan View of the device with the alley shown broken. Fig.2 is a transverse section of a portion of the device indicated by theline 2 2 in Fig. l and in direction of an arrow in said iigure. Fig. 3isa longitudinal section of the parts shown in Fig. l, taken on the line3 3 in said figure; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4L ain Fig. 3, viewed in the direction of an arrow.

The alley A is made preferably of hard wood that will not warp or split,andin length is proportioned to adapt it for convenient portage and useindoors as well as upon a porch or lawn. The board of which the alley Ais constructed may be stiffened by several cross-bars a, which, ifsecured upon its lower surface at proper intervals transversely, willrender it substantial and afford a base therefor.

At the end of the alley A which is nearest the players when in use theten-pins B are 'set up in the order represented in Fig. l, and at theopposite end the propelling device for the ball that strikes the pins islocated. Preferably the alley-board A is cut away on the edges to slopethem toward a center point at the terminal of the board which supportsthe ball-driver mentioned, which mechanism consists of a pusher-bar Cand means to actuate it at a proper time. The pusher-bar C is supportedabove the alley A and parallel to it, aligning with its transversecenter by the posts h b and c. As indicated in Figs. l and 4, the postsb are located on each side of the median line of the alley A and equallyre- Vmoved from said line, the rear side of each of the posts name'dbeing notched at an equal distance from the surface of the alley onwhich they are erected to receive a cross-bar d, which projects slightlyat each end and is secured in place by any suitable means. The cross-bard is apertured at a point central between the posts b to receiveandloosely support the pusher-bar C. The post c, that is located at therear terminal of the alleyA in alignment with the aperture in thecrossbar d, is similarly apertured to receive and sustain thepusher-bar. The-front end of the pusher-bar C is provided with ahead-piece C', that is constructed so as to have two divergent wings,which join at the center of the bar and serve to center the ball when itis deposited in front of said wings and engaged by them, as will befurther explained.

A slot is cut in the alley-boardAofa proper width and length to receivethe trap-board D, thatis hinged at e on its lower side and for'- wardend to the edge of the hole, wherein the trap-board is looselysupported, the rear end of which board is spring-supported slightlyabove the upper surface of the alley-board A by a transverse gum-bandspring E or other spring' appliance which will be adapted to sustain thetrap-board and allow it to yield in a downward direction when impingedupon by weight falling on its upper surface. The free rear end of thetrap-board D extends beyond the cross-bar d a short distance, and fromits upper surface near said end a transversely central and uprighttrigger-rod gis erected, which rod is designed to have a slightinterlocking contact with a latch-plate h, that is secured on the lowersurface of the pusherbar C near the wings of its head-piece C the lengthof the rod being so proportioned as to permit such a latching contactwhen the pusher-bar is slid rearward, as represented in Fig. 3.

n There is a gum-band spring F preferably provided to forcibly slide thepusher-bar O forwardly in its supports, and thus adapt it to IOO projectthe ball toward the pins. the band-spring is secured near itsextremities to the ends of the cross-bar d, as indicated in Figs. 1 and4, by clamps or other means, and is inserted through the pusher-bar orattached thereto, its length being so proportioned that it will beconsiderably stretched when the pusher-bai` is slid rearwardly tointerlock its latch-plate 7b with the trigger-rod g.

Upon one side of the alley A a trough II is supported on the posts m orby equivalent means, which trough extends from the front end of thealley to a point n near the posts b parallel with the side edges of thealley and downwardly inclined a suilicient degree to insure the rapidrolling of the ball G toward the point named. From n the trough II isprojected inwardly and downwardly to locate its end o above and near tothe head-piece C of the pusher-bar C, so that the ball G will drop onthe trap-board D directly in front of the head-piece, if placed inthetrough at its front end, and allowed to roll in it without obstruction.

To prevent an improper delivery of the ball G, a guard-piece II issecured at the terminal end of the trough II, which is curved, as shownin Fig. l, so that the progressive movement of the ball is arrested at aproper point to allow it to drop vertically upon the trapboard, asbefore stated.

At the point n, where the trough II is deiiected laterally, a gate I islocated, which is pivoted by its lateral arm p upon a bracketarm I', theouter end of the arm having a tripping-line fr secured to it, which isextended downwardly to loosely engage the screweye s, and thencerearwardly to have its other end attached to the pusher-bar C. There isan adj Listing-cord J secured by one end tothe lower side of thepusher-bar C near to the point of connection of the line i', and fromthis point is extended rearwardly to engage the periphery of thebracket-supported pulley O, and thence extend forwardly through holes inthe cross-bars ct to the iront end of the alley, thus affording means todraw the pusher-bar C back until the trigger-rod g is in contact withthe latch-plate 7L., when the device will be adjusted ready for thereception of the ball G. The gate I is designed to arrest a ball ifrolled down the trough before the device is in adjustment to receive it,or before the pins B are properly arranged on the alley. The rearwardmovement of the pusher-bar C to set it for a propulsion of the ball G isnot effected until the ten-pins B are properly placed, when the forwarddraft of the adj usting-cord YI will simultaneously elevate the gate Ifor the free passage of the ball from To this end the front end of thetrough II till it falls therefrom on the trap-board D, as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 3, which will depress the trapboard and release thepusher-bar, which will drivel the ball forciby against the pins B, theoperation being repeated as often as desired to furnish amusement forchildren or persons of more mature age.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. The combination, with an alley-board, an inclinedtrough, a pusher-bar supported to slide above the alley-board nearthelower terminal of the trough, and a propelling-spring therefor, of atrap-board hinged by one end to the alley-board in a slot therein, aspring which supports the free end of the trap-board, a trigger-post onthe trap-board at the free end, a latch-plate on the lower side of thepusher-bar which will engage the upper end of the trigger-post when thepusher-bar is retracted, means to retract thepusher-bar, and a ballwhich when dropped from the trough onto the trap-board will detach thepusherbar to drive the ball, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an alley-board, pins on the board at one end, atrough, avertically-adjustable stop-gate thereon, and a ball, of ahinged trap-board at the other end of the alley, a trigger-post on thefree end of the trap-board, a pusher-bar longitudinally supported toslide above the trap-board, a latch-plate engaging a trigger-rod withits free end, a spring for the pusher-bar, and an adjusting-cordconnected to the pusher-bar and leading forwardly, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with an alley-board, pins thereon, a trough alongthe side of the alley which is extended laterally near one end of theboard to drop a ball on a trapboard vibrating in a slot in thealley-board, and a ball, of a hinged trap-board, a triggerrod upright onthe free end of the trapboard, a sliding pusher-bar having a wingedhead-piece, a latch-plate on the pusher-bar that will interlock with theupper end of the trigger-rod, a gum-band spring adapted to slide thepusher-bar forwardly, and an adjusting-cord leading to the front end ofthe alley and adapted to retract the pusher-bar when pulled forwardly,substantially as set forth.

JOHN R. PETTIT.

Witnesses:

WM. P. PA'rToN, E. M. CLARK.

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